text: Romans used many methods to create metal objects.  Like Samian ware, moulds were created by making a model of the desired shape (whether through wood, wax, or metal), which would then be pressed into a clay mould.  In the case of a metal or wax model, once dry, the ceramic could be heated and the wax or metal melted until it could be poured from the mould (this process utilising wax is called the “lost wax“ technique).  By pouring metal into the aperture, exact copies of an object could be cast.  This process made the creation of a line of objects quite uniform.  This is not to suggest that the creativity of individual artisans did not continue; rather, unique handcrafted pieces were normally the work of small, rural metalworkers on the peripheries of Rome using local techniques (Tylecote 1962).
  There is archaeological evidence throughout the Empire demonstrating the large scale excavations, smelting, and trade routes concerning metals.  With the Romans came the concept of mass production; this is arguably the most important aspect of Roman influence in the study of metallurgy.  Three particular objects produced en masse and seen in the archaeological record throughout the Roman Empire are brooches called fibulae, worn by both men and women (Bayley 2004), coins, and ingots (Hughes 1980).  These cast objects can allow archaeologists to trace years of communication, trade, and even historic/stylistic changes throughout the centuries of Roman power.